ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ball — a dance
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. present — a gift
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — there
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — the time now
  18. ball — a great time
  19. capital — a city
  20. cell — in biology
  21. land — ground
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com